I figure anyone scared off by her might not be someone you wanna hang out with, anyway.
[It's a half-joke-- but it does seem to him to be a good way to weed people out. If they don't like your pet, then it won't work. Simple as that. And as Claude excuses himself, he'll wave a hand in acknowledgement- and sure doesn't seem to care about the length of time. Killing time is something of a specialty of his, after all.
The picnic basket and change of clothes gets an eyebrow raise and something of a half-smirk, as he moves to follow Claude over and outside.]
You're going all out, huh. Guess I better step up my game.
[But finally, Zafeera appears! His expression definitely shifts as she approaches and gusts into a landing, all teeth and scales and bloodstains. As much as he's gotten used to seeing monsters and weird animals both back home and here, seeing an actual dragon is another thing entirely. She moves like a predator, but responds positively to Claude's attention-- And it reminds him of someone having managed to tame a wolf or a lion.]
Damn....
[It's a curse in awe, but he still takes a few steps forward- and extends his hand, palm down, like one would when greeting a dog, to let them sniff you.]
She's cool as hell. [Sadly, he's not really the type to call her beautiful or anything. Once he's convinced she won't snap at him, he'll move a bit closer, able to brush the backs of his fingers against her scales, being mindful of move in the same direction.]
I don't really blame anyone for being scared by her. They should be. She's a dangerous animal, [ Claude says cheerfully. Even if Zafeera can understand him - which he swears that she does, half the time - he knows that she would agree with the sentiment. Oh, she's as sweet as a pussycat with Claude, but she can crush a man's skull between her teeth in a way that can't possibly compare with the dangers that something like a horse trampling you beneath its hooves poses. There's many an opposing soldier that has found themselves on the wrong end of Zafeera's gnashing jaws.
But here and now, she seems quite tame, letting out a pleasant sort of grumble as Shinji's fingers brush her side, craning her head to get a good look at him, translucent membrane flickering over her bright yellow eyes. ]
But that just makes her even cooler. [ He slaps at her side, much like one might the flank of a horse. ] She and I have been together since I was just a little kid. I hatched her myself. She didn't get any choice in enjoying my company, did you girl?
Yeah? Guess I should be glad my hands don't seem tasty to her. [Or that she just ate. He's wiling to bet it's mostly her socialization, training, and having just hunted that keeps her relatively relaxed, and not snapping those teeth at him like she had Claude.]
Are they common, where you're from?
[Claude hatched her and raised her-- which he can't imagine being an easy task. Sure, lizards and stuff start small, but she clearly soars around hunting deer or something. Not that any of this information changes the way he runs his hands over her scales, head tilting as he gets a better look at her. If there's one thing that's actually really cool about being stuck in Aldrip, it's seeing all these fantastical, impossible creatures.]
Damn, I didn't even have a cat or a dog as a kid. [it's said with something of an amused smirk, and then he finally glances back to Claude. After all, he should at least be a little polite.]
Oh, yeah. There are entire battalions of wyvern riders. They're not as popular as pegasi or horses, since they're a little trickier to train and way more expensive to feed, but there's no beating them on the battlefield. [ He gives her haunch an affectionate pat. ] Her and I make an unstoppable team, if I say so myself.
[ That's when he'll let her bite, too, though he tries not to. One, because neither of them thrive from close-combat, and two, because he's convinced at some point she's going to get sick from biting some really dirty soldier. Deer are much safer. ]
But I grew up around a whole zoo. Cats and dogs and horses and pegasi and wyverns were just everywhere. Maybe you oughtta take in an animal while you're here too. [ It's a little sad, the thought of being detached from all that. But the palace had been a veritable haven for animals, allowed to roam around more or less as they pleased, knowing that there would always be servants to set out food and water for them, to care for them when they were sick, to welcome them inside when they became old and infirm. He's not sure if that's due to his father's own affection for the beasts, or if this is a tradition passed down the entire family.
He looks at Zafeera thoughtfully, placing a hand on her snout as her long tongue snakes through his fingers. ]
If you're not afraid of heights, I can take you for a spin. It'll be a lot faster than just walking to a good picnicking spot.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-03-09 02:39 pm (UTC)[It's a half-joke-- but it does seem to him to be a good way to weed people out. If they don't like your pet, then it won't work. Simple as that. And as Claude excuses himself, he'll wave a hand in acknowledgement- and sure doesn't seem to care about the length of time. Killing time is something of a specialty of his, after all.
The picnic basket and change of clothes gets an eyebrow raise and something of a half-smirk, as he moves to follow Claude over and outside.]
You're going all out, huh. Guess I better step up my game.
[But finally, Zafeera appears! His expression definitely shifts as she approaches and gusts into a landing, all teeth and scales and bloodstains. As much as he's gotten used to seeing monsters and weird animals both back home and here, seeing an actual dragon is another thing entirely. She moves like a predator, but responds positively to Claude's attention-- And it reminds him of someone having managed to tame a wolf or a lion.]
Damn....
[It's a curse in awe, but he still takes a few steps forward- and extends his hand, palm down, like one would when greeting a dog, to let them sniff you.]
She's cool as hell. [Sadly, he's not really the type to call her beautiful or anything. Once he's convinced she won't snap at him, he'll move a bit closer, able to brush the backs of his fingers against her scales, being mindful of move in the same direction.]
You been with her a while, seems like?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-14 09:56 am (UTC)But here and now, she seems quite tame, letting out a pleasant sort of grumble as Shinji's fingers brush her side, craning her head to get a good look at him, translucent membrane flickering over her bright yellow eyes. ]
But that just makes her even cooler. [ He slaps at her side, much like one might the flank of a horse. ] She and I have been together since I was just a little kid. I hatched her myself. She didn't get any choice in enjoying my company, did you girl?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-24 01:46 pm (UTC)Are they common, where you're from?
[Claude hatched her and raised her-- which he can't imagine being an easy task. Sure, lizards and stuff start small, but she clearly soars around hunting deer or something. Not that any of this information changes the way he runs his hands over her scales, head tilting as he gets a better look at her. If there's one thing that's actually really cool about being stuck in Aldrip, it's seeing all these fantastical, impossible creatures.]
Damn, I didn't even have a cat or a dog as a kid. [it's said with something of an amused smirk, and then he finally glances back to Claude. After all, he should at least be a little polite.]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-27 10:32 pm (UTC)[ That's when he'll let her bite, too, though he tries not to. One, because neither of them thrive from close-combat, and two, because he's convinced at some point she's going to get sick from biting some really dirty soldier. Deer are much safer. ]
But I grew up around a whole zoo. Cats and dogs and horses and pegasi and wyverns were just everywhere. Maybe you oughtta take in an animal while you're here too. [ It's a little sad, the thought of being detached from all that. But the palace had been a veritable haven for animals, allowed to roam around more or less as they pleased, knowing that there would always be servants to set out food and water for them, to care for them when they were sick, to welcome them inside when they became old and infirm. He's not sure if that's due to his father's own affection for the beasts, or if this is a tradition passed down the entire family.
He looks at Zafeera thoughtfully, placing a hand on her snout as her long tongue snakes through his fingers. ]
If you're not afraid of heights, I can take you for a spin. It'll be a lot faster than just walking to a good picnicking spot.